IN THIS ISSUE

UVic in Greece 2 /

Focus on Funds 6 /

Upcoming Lectures 7 /

MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR:

Volume 2 l Spring 2008

Notes from the Department of Greek and Roman Studies

This newsletter allows us to share with you some

of the many activities in the Department of Greek

and Roman Studies. There has been much to

celebrate in 2006-2007 both at home and abroad.

A recent review of the department rated us one

of the best Classics departments in Canada.

Dr. Gregory Rowe received the 2006 Teaching

Excellence Award in the Faculty of Humanities

(p. 3). Although Dr. Gordon Shrimpton formally

became a Professor Emeritus upon his retirement

in June, nevertheless he continues to be an

active, congenial and contributing member of

the Department and indeed the Faculty. We have

welcomed Dr. Geoff rey Kron as our new Greek

historian (p. 4). Our former colleague

Dr. Luke Roman has decided to pursue his career

elsewhere; fortunately, by the time of the next

newsletter we will be announcing our new

specialist in Latin literature.

Two graduate students traveled all the way

a mari usque ad mare to give papers at the

Classical Association of Canada’s annual

conference in Newfoundland. Dr.Brendan

Burke led an archaeological study tour to the

monuments of Ancient Greece and will be

leading another expedition in May 2008 (p. 2).

Internationally distinguished scholars came to UVic

to speak on such diverse topics as “The Fate of the

Classics” and “Animal ‘stars’ in the Roman arena”.

It is only through your contributions that these

activities are possible and we are able to share our

enthusiasm for, and knowledge of, the ancient

world with the next generation of students. We

are deeply grateful for your support and hope that

you will continue to participate in helping the

educational mandate of the department. You can

fi nd out about forthcoming events on our home-

page (http://web.uvic.ca/grs) or visit in person on

the fourth fl oor of Clearihue Building (B wing).

I look forward to meeting you.

Cedric Littlewood, Chair

250-721-8515

calwood@uvic.ca

University of Victoria, Canada Vol.16 Fall 2007 University of Victoria, Canada Vol.16 Fall 2007 Centre for Greek and Roman Studies NewsletterUVIC IN GREECEUVIC IN GREECEWhat could be more exciting than visiting the ancient

ruins associated with the mythical fi gures King Minos

and Agamemnon, leader of the Greek expedition

to Troy? In May 2007, 16 Greek and Roman Studies

students set out to Greece with Dr. Brendan Burke for

a fi eld study course in Greek archaeology under the

aegis of our fi rst UVic in Greece program. Under Dr.

Burke’s well-organized leadership, our students were

able to visit over 60 archaeological sites and museums

throughout Greece, including the island of Crete (in

about 3 weeks!). Here follows some notes from Dr.

Burke about their trip.

The program revolved around the city of Athens and was designed as three trips to various parts of Greece. On May 1 all of the students assembled in Syndagma (Constitution) Square, perhaps the most easily found public meeting place in Athens, where I had arranged to meet them. A general strike had been called that day closing all archaeological sites, including the Acropolis, but the students were undaunted and full of enthusiasm and energy, even though some had just fl own in directly from Victoria the night before.

After two days in Athens the group left for our fi rst excursion by an overnight boat to Crete under clear blue skies and warm temperatures for early May. The early

morning arrival allowed time for breakfast in downtown Herakleion, famous for its bougatza, a Greek custard pastry. Picking up a pack-lunch, as the group learned to do every morning, we were the fi rst visitors of the day to arrive at Knossos, and fortunately were able to see the site virtually alone. We continued our travels throughout southern and eastern Crete, getting as far as Itanos and Kato Zakros. Our days on Crete were truly idyllic, perfect weather, blue seas, great group spirit, and delicious food. Some students even sampled Cretan raki, the potent drink made as a by-product of wine.

The Peloponnese was the site for our second trip; we stayed for two nights in the beautiful town of Nauplion, visiting many of the major sites in the area, like Mycenae, Tiryns, Lerna, Epidauros, and traveling to some of the less well-known places like Franchthi Cave and Midea. If there was time in the afternoon many members of the group would go for a swim or have an ice cream by the shore. Sparta, Pylos, Bassae, Olympia, Nemea, and Corinth completed our Peloponnesian adventure before we returned to Athens once again.

The fi nal trip of the program to the north was the longest. The fi rst visit was to the sacred site of Eleusis outside of Athens, and someone must have heard our prayers because the northern trip in many ways was the highlight. We visited Orchomenos and Gla, two places

off the beaten track but important in Greek prehistory, before arriving at spectacular Delphi for two nights. We then headed west to Mesolonghi, where the heart of one of the greatest philhellenes, Lord Byron, is buried, and then to Actium, site of the great defeat of Antony and Cleopatra by a young Octavian. Traveling along the Via Egnatia fi rst built by the Romans we crossed northern Greece, stopping at Meteora to see some of the strikingly situated monasteries there. The modern, sophisticated city of Thessaloniki was a treat, as was learning about the beginnings of Byzantine architecture. On our return south, we visited the pass at Thermopylai and spent time at the sites at Lefkandi and Eretria.

Our bus driver Christos arranged an event which became our collective favourite memory. We paid a visit to his family’s village home in Platanias, a very small village near Thebes. To our surprise a small welcoming committee was there with fresh juice, fruit, Greek coff ee, and homemade wine. Almost paradoxically the driver thanked us for coming, saying that people up in the villages of Greece sometimes think the world just passes them by. He explained that this is why his parents were so happy to share their hospitality with us. I don’t think they realized how special the visit was for our group from the University of Victoria.

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Dr. Gregory Rowe, who has a devoted following of students at the University of Victoria and the admiration of his colleagues, was awarded the Teaching Excellence Award for 2007 for the Faculty of Humanities. He brings particular passion and enthusiasm to the teaching of the Department of Greek and Roman Studies’ large introductory Greek and Roman Civilization class. His uniquely engaging pedagogical style has inspired scores of fi rst and second year students to enroll in more advanced Greek and Roman Studies courses. His nomination was unanimously recommended by the Teaching Excellence Award Committee, which recognized his “outstanding teaching talents and dedication to and involvement with graduate and undergraduate students”.

Dr. Rowe is a teacher of high accomplishment. The key to his success lies in Dr. Rowe’s own understanding of his mission as a teacher which he sets forth with wonderful clarity in his own statement on teaching, which affi rms: “I like my students and I enjoy helping them learn.” For Dr. Rowe, liking the work is most of what it takes to be an eff ective teacher – along with being carefully prepared and admitting the mistakes that one nonetheless makes.

Dr. Rowe also has several working hypotheses about university learning and teaching that motivate him:■ Students do not need teachers. ■ Most students, however, can use some coaching, which is often

most eff ectively implemented in the context of individual contact in offi ce hours.

■ Students have diff erent learning styles. ■ All students learn by doing. ■ Students continue learning outside the classroom.

Students often leave Dr. Rowe’s classes making comments such as: “He makes the class a pleasure to come to and fun to listen to and learn” or “The best prof I have got. Great sense of humour” or “Amazing teacher, best ever. Woot Woot!” and “Huzzah!” The Department of Greek and Roman Studies values Dr. Rowe’s stunning impact upon students, and is proud that he is a member of our faculty.

Greg Rowe Wins Greg Rowe Wins Teaching Teaching Excellence AwardExcellence AwardUVIC IN GREECE

““outstanding outstanding

teaching talents teaching talents

and dedication to and dedication to

and involvement and involvement

with graduate and with graduate and

undergraduate undergraduate

studentsstudents””

Gregory Rowe

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University of Victoria, Canada Vol.16 Fall 2007

The Department of Greek and Roman Studies’ excellence in the fi eld of Greek history will continue, despite the recent retirement of our long-time professor of Greek history, Dr. Gordon Shrimpton. The Department is very fortunate to welcome Dr. Geoff rey Kron, who specializes in Athenian and Greek democracy, as our new Greek historian.

Dr. Kron’s interest in antiquity was stimulated at the University of Toronto by Professor Brad Inwood, among others, and by his study of the work of the great historian Moses Finley. Dr. Kron describes himself as having “very eclectic intellectual interests”, which range from the inter-relationship between economics and democracy in ancient Greece to European social history from the Renaissance to the 19th century. Dr. Kron is particularly a proponent of democracy as an important

factor in both economic and social development, both in the ancient and modern worlds. His early degrees in math and physics have made him comfortable using statistics and graphs as he traces various demographic trends in the ancient world. This approach to Greek history, combining social history, demographics and attention to agriculture and economics, heralds a shift towards methods of interpreting data which have not yet been widely used by Classical scholars. Dr. Kron’s work has been presented in well-respected venues, including international conferences and prestigious edited volumes.

In the course of his research, Dr. Kron has uncovered some surprising aspects of ancient Greek culture. The nutrition of 5th century Athenians was not matched again until the 1970s in modern Greece; Greek housing was much more spacious and comfortable than most 19th and 20th century housing; and the distribution of wealth in Athens was comparable to that in mid-20th century welfare states.

In September 2006, the Department publicly honoured the retirement of Gordon Shrimpton by hosting a conference, “History, Memory, and Orality”. The keynote speaker for this conference was eminent Greek historian, and Lansdowne lecturer, Professor François

Hartog. Gordon’s former students, Dr. Frances Pownall (University of Alberta) and Dr. Waldemar Heckel (University of Calgary), presented papers re-enforcing the importance of Gordon’s infl uence on Greek history in Canada. Another former student, Dr. Michael Chase, moderated a session. Graduate students Elizabeth Scarth, Jillian Schoichet, and Richard Kavadas also presented their work. A version of Dr. Rowe’s paper on epigraphy, which was also presented at this conference, will shortly be appearing in The Blackwell Companion to the Ancient World. This gathering was a fi tting tribute to Dr. Shrimpton’s contribution both to the Department and Canadian higher education.

Tradition of Greek History Continues at UVic

Gordon S. Shrimpton

The Department had a wonderfully productive year in 2006-2007. In addition to the conferences for Gordon Shrimpton and Peter Smith, the Department was also instrumental in arranging the successful nomination of Dr. Alain Touwaide as a Lansdowne lecturer for the Faculty of Humanities. Dr. Touwaide, currently a member of the Smithsonian Institute, is a respected researcher on ancient and medieval medical manuscripts, whose expertise on ancient herbal remedies provided the UVic community with a series of fascinating lectures.

We concluded the year on a strong note with visits from distinguished British archaeologist Professor Lord Colin Renfrew and our Women Scholars Lecturer, Dr. Kathleen Coleman. Our Department has been very successful in nominations for the Women Scholars Lecture series, and Dr. Coleman did not disappoint: she presented a series of invigorating lectures on spectacle in Roman culture.

Res Gestae:

Geoff Kron

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Our MA and PhD students have had an active year, and they all have extremely exciting futures ahead.

One of the premier events of 2007 was the Peter Smith Memorial Colloquium which included a signifi cant component of graduate students as respondents to the presented papers. This was a wonderful way for our students to have some experience on a public stage. They all requited themselves admirably, and we all agreed that a conference format which included both faculty and students in a congenial manner would have pleased Peter. The Department is looking forward to hosting future Peter Smith colloquia.

Jamie Nay and Elizabeth Scarth presented papers at the annual meeting of the Classical Association of Canada in Newfoundland in May. Liz participated in the Women and Memory panel organized by the Women’s Network of the CAIC: “this conference off ered me a unique forum where I was able to receive constructive suggestions and feedback from other academics regarding the material in my paper”. Jamie found new inspiration through preparing and delivering his paper: “Presenting the paper also re-ignited my passion for my thesis, giving me the extra boost I needed to fi nish my work….As I wrote and subsequently presented my paper, however, the excitement returned.” Their trips were generously funded by the Margareta von Rudloff Travel Assistance Fund. Among our PhD students, Jillian Schoichet received the Vandekerkhove Family Trust Graduate Student Fellowship and the Donald Wagg Graduate Scholarship which enable her to continue her innovative work on memory and orality

under the supervision of Gordon Shrimpton. Milo Nikolic, who is guided in his work on the hydraulics of aqueducts by John Oleson, received the Crake Fellowship at Mt. Allison University, where he will hold the fellowship.

This year, the American Philological Association allowed us, according to the terms of our institutional membership, to award Elizabeth-Ann Scarth and Sarah Prest the APA Outstanding Student Award 2007.■ Sarah Prest, who was previously awarded a Canada Graduate

Scholarship as an MA student at UVic, also received a Canada Graduate Scholarship from SSHRC for her PhD program. Sarah was in addition awarded the Jim Greenfi eld Graduate Fellowship from University of Washington, where she will be pursuing her doctorate in Latin literature in the Department of Classics.

We are extremely proud that four of our students completed their Master’s theses in 2006-2007. The topics are stimulating and diverse:■ Jamie Nay: Citizenship, Culture and Ideology in Roman Greece,

supervisor Gregory Rowe and co-supervisor Gordon Shrimpton.■ Sarah Prest: Tragedy and Transformation: Generic Tension and

Apotheosis in Ovid’s Metamorphoses, supervisor Cedric Littlewood.■ Elizabeth-Ann Scarth: Mnemotechnics and Virgil: The Art of Memory

and Remembering, supervisor Gordon Shrimpton.■ Derek Klapecki: The Roman Mosaics of Humayama, Jordan,

supervisor John Oleson.

Graduate events: “this conference

off ered me a

unique forum

where I was

able to receive

constructive

suggestions

and feedback

from other

academics

regarding the

material in

my paper”

This past year has been one of exemplary achieve-ment for our undergraduate students, who have been rewarded not only for excellence in their studies, but also for enthusiasm and passion for the Classics. All of the prizes listed below have been made possible through very generous donations from friends of our Department and the Classics.■ The Catriona Cameron Bingham Prize for an outstand-

ing student in a beginning course in Classical Greek: Jason Verbitsky.

■ The George P. Black Memorial Scholarship in memory of an exceptional teacher of Latin and Greek at Victoria College for 22 years for an outstanding undergradu-ate student in GRS: Jessica Hallas-Kilcoyne.

■ Butterfi eld Law Book Prize for a student with an enthusiastic interest in Classical Studies not receiving other Prizes: Benjamin Chernyk.

■ CAVI Book Prizes, three or more prizes for excellence in GRS: Ruben Post, Mike Rheault, Carly Malloch, Christina Tam, Ryan Hunt, Gwenn Guthrie, and Carolynne Hodgson.

■ Greek and Roman Studies Scholarship for one or more third or fourth year undergraduates or graduates: prize divided equally among Caitlin Keenan, Tristan Thompson, and Lauren Mayes.

■ The Irene Lee Book Prize in Latin established by Gary Hayman in honor of an inspiring Latin teacher at Mt. Douglas High School to a leading student in second year Latin: Jenny Weston.

■ The Edward B. Paul Memorial Scholarship for an out-standing undergraduate student in Greek and Roman Studies: prize divided equally between Trevor Van Damme and Sara Van Dongen.

■ Peter L. Smith Scholarship in Greek and Roman Studies, in honour of Peter L. Smith, for one or more

undergraduates who have completed fi rst or second year with an outstanding record in GRS courses, and who have registered for further courses in GRS: prize divided equally between Ryan Hunt and Ashley (Cole) Richards.

Among our undergraduate students, Christopher “Kicker” Conlin received funding from the Margareta Von Rudloff Travel Assistance Bursary for an extended trip to Greece and Turkey. After assisting Dr. Brendan Burke on the Greece study tour, Kicker participated in the Eastern Boeotia Archaeological Project with Dr. Burke, gaining experience in the methods and procedures of an archaeological survey. He also spent a second season at the Mycenae excavations of Petsas’ House. After fi nishing in Mycenae he traveled to Turkey for a brief trip down the west coast of Anatolia. Kicker described these experiences as “incredibly valuable to furthering (his) education and understanding of the archaeology of Classical and Prehistoric Greece.”

Undergraduate events:

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University of Victoria, Canada Vol.16 Fall 2007

Roman ConcreteFor two weeks in May 2007, Professor Oleson and MA student Derek Klapecki worked recovering large samples of concrete from the Roman harbour structures in Alexandria, Egypt, by means of a mechanical coring device. Professor Oleson has used this procedure in Roman harbours in Italy, Israel, and–during September–in Greece. The cores then are analyzed in the laboratories of Italcementi, of Bergamo, Italy, and have provided important new data on the characteristics of Roman hydraulic concrete. The infrastructure of the Roman empire–harbours, bridges, aqueducts etc.–depended on hydraulic concrete, but

until now, proper testing has not been carried out. A poster presentation of this project at the annual meeting of the Archaeological Institute of American in San Diego in January 2007 was awarded fi rst prize. Professor Oleson recently fi nished editing A Handbook of Engineering and Technology in the Classical World (Oxford University Press, December 2007). Professor Oleson also lectured to local societies of the Archaeological Institute of America in Portland, Salem, and Eugene, Oregon in November.

What happens when a graduate student, normally living on a fi xed budget, encounters an unexpected event or special circumstance such as a family emergency requiring immediate long-distance travel, or special needs for a disability, or generally expensive repairs to the computer which holds all of her work? Our long-time colleague Gordon Shrimpton, who during his many years as graduate

advisor has mentored students through just such events, has joined forces with the Marsden family to address fi nancial emergencies which may occur in the course of a graduate student’s career but which are not normally addressed institutionally. Our Department is enormously grateful to the sensitivity to graduate student life which this fund expresses, and we hope you will consider supporting it.

Focus on FundsMarsden and Shrimpton Graduate Student Special Needs Fund (formerly the George Marsden Scholarship Fund).

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DR. MOATTI’S LECTURES:Movement and Intellectual Transformations: the Process of Rationalization and Universalization at the End of the Roman RepublicMonday, February 11, 3:30 p.m.

Clearihue Building, Room A311

Freedom of Movement: Citizenship and Right to LeaveTuesday, February 12, 3:30 p.m.

Clearihue Building, Room A207

Mobility and “Cosmopolitization” of the Roman Empire: Some AspectsThursday, February 14, 7:30 p.m.

Clearihue Building, Room A207

DR. FOLEY’S LECTURES:Oral Traditions around the World, Ancient to ModernMonday, March 10, 3:30 p.m.

Clearihue Building, Room A311

Methods of Approaching Oral TraditionsTuesday, March 11, 3:30 p.m.

Clearihue Building, Room A207

Pathways of the Mind: Oral Tradtion and Internet TechnologyThursday, March 13, 7:30 p.m.

Clearihue Building, Room A207

Professor Claudia MoattiDepartment of Classics, University of Southern California and the Université de Paris 8 (St Denis-Vincennes)

Professor Moatti has studied the Roman State through two approaches: one concerns the construction of the concept of res publica, and the other the administrative capacity of the state to control people and territories. For this last issue, she focused fi rst on the developments of its archives and on its rationalization at the end of the Republic; then, she worked on the control of human mobility in the Roman Empire. This work is a part of a comparative program she has been directing for four years, in Europe, on the Control of Human Mobility in the Mediterranean from Ancient Times to Early Modern Times.

Department of Greek and Roman Studies

Univeristy of VictoriaPO Box 3045 STN CSCVictoria, B.C. V8W 3P4

Offi ce: Clearihue Building, Room B409Phone: (250) 721-8514Web: web.uvic.ca/grs

Design: UVic Graphic Services, UVic MarketingPhotography: faculty/staff , istock images

The issue was compiled by Sonja Bermingham and Ingrid Holmberg. Comments and contributions are welcome, and can be sent to jupiter@uvic.ca

Upcoming Lectures: You Are Invited!

Professor John M. Foley Department of Classical StudiesDirector, Center for Studies in Oral Tradition William H. Byler Distinguished Chair in the HumanitiesUniversity of Missouri

Dr. John Miles Foley is the pre-eminent expert in the oral tradition today. His work takes up the mantle of Milman Parry and Albert Lord, the 20th century scholars who established the signifi cance of the oral tradition for the early Greek poetry of Homer. Dr. Foley’s 1990 monograph Traditional Oral Epic: The Odyssey, Beowulf, and the Serbo-Croatian Return Song fi rmly established his reputation and has become a canonical study of the oral tradition for scholars across disciplines. Dr. Foley’s subsequent work, Immanent Art, Homer’s Traditional Art, and How to Read an Oral Poem, has explored how oral poetry creates cultural meaning. These books have established new principles for interpreting oral poetry and have inaugurated a resurgence of scholarship in this arena. The most recent of Dr. Foley’s numerous edited projects is the essential A Companion to Ancient Epic in the distinguished and popular Blackwell companion series. Dr. Foley’s current scholarly pursuit combines his expertise on oral traditions with an examination of the technological age; he has in progress a book entitled Pathways of the Mind: the Oral Tradition and the Internet.

University of Victoria, Canada Vol.16 Fall 2007

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hsd.uvic.ca

YOUR SUPPORT MAKES THE WORLD OF DIFFERENCE!

1) I wish to support the following funds:

❑ Geoge Marsden & Gordon Shrimpton Graduate Student Special Needs Fund in GRS ❑ Peter Smith Fund ❑ GRS Scholarship Fund

2) Amount of gift: _______________

❑ one time ❑ monthly gift per month $________ start date:________ end date: ________

3) Method of Payment:

❑ Visa ❑ Mastercard ❑ American Express

Number: _______________________________________________________ Exp: (mm/yy) __________

Signature (required for credit card): ___________________________________________________________

❑ I wish to remain anonymous ❑ I have enclosed my personal cheque (s) payable to the University of Victoria

❑ I would like information on bequests and other forms of planned gifts

❑ I would like information on gifts of publicly traded securities

Thank you for your support for the students and programs at this university.

Annual Giving Offi ceAlumni HousePO Box 3060 STN CSC Victoria BC V8W 3R4 Canada

Phone: (250) 721-6003 Fax: (250) 721-6265Email: devdonor@uvic.ca Web: development.uvic.ca

Charitable Reg. No. 10816 2470

The Faculty of Humanities and the Department of Greek and Roman Studies are blessed with a number of very loyal donors. Benefactors’ reasons for donating are personal and varied, but there is a common theme. They want to make a diff erence! In a nutshell, they’ve decided that supporting students and programs in the Department of Greek and Roman Studies at the University of Victoria is the best way to accomplish this.

Donors tell me that they are delighted when they can help a student or assist the start up of a new program. My role is to help the donor do what she or he wants to do by providing information about funding priorities in the Department. The main priority for fundraising both in the University and the Department this year is to increase support for graduate students. The University of Victoria already off ers fellowships and assistantships; UVic grad students are also very successful in applying for grants from external granting organizations.

In fact, UVic grad students surpassed Simon Fraser University, University of Alberta, McGill, Queens, University of British Columbia and University of Toronto in successful applications to academic granting agencies.

UVic still falls short, however, compared to other universities in the donor awards, scholarships and bursaries available to grad students. These sources can only be created from the generosity of individuals, and to a lesser extent, corporate donors. Why support grad students? Because grad students are the largest body of researchers on campus, they challenge and inspire undergraduates through their teaching and they are the leaders of tomorrow.

If you’re interested in discussing how you can make a diff erence in the Department of Greek and Roman Studies, please call me at 250-721-6696.

Making a diff erence in Greek and Roman StudiesBy Karen Whyte, MA